Pivot assembly in a nonpiercing hoop earring

ABSTRACT

A nonpiercing earring having curved interconnected members that define a hoop, a connecting assembly pivotally interconnecting adjacent ends of the members and urging the opposite disconnected ends of the members toward each other and toward a common plane, whereby the disconnected ends may be urged into positive engaging relation with an ear, simulating a pierced earring. The connecting assembly comprises a spring housed in two sleeves, one sleeve being located in an end cavity of each said member and held therein by a U-shaped member force-fitted into a slot associated with the respective cavity.

United States Patent Inventors James P. Demers Garden City; Igor Kling, East Williston, both of, N.Y. Appl. No. 719,584 Filed Apr. 8, 1968 Patented Aug. 17, 1971 Assignee Demming, Inc.

New York, N.Y.

PIVOT ASSEMBLY IN A NONPIERCING HOOP EARRING 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 63/14 D, 16/168, 24/248 F, 267/180- Int. Cl A44c 7/00 Field of Search 63/12, 13,

1 3, [56] Relierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,643,109 6/1953 Wood 267/180 243,218 6/1881 Cottle. 63/10 252,441 l/1882 Edge 63/10 2,611,251 9/1952 Guth 63/14(.7)

Primary ExaminerF. Barry Shay Attorney-Salter & Michaelson ABSTRACT: A nonpiercing earring having curved interconnected members that define a hoop, a connecting assembly pivotally interconnecting adjacent ends of the members and urging the opposite disconnected ends of the members toward each other and toward a common plane, whereby the disconnected ends may be urged into positive engaging relation with an ear, simulating a pierced earring. The connecting assembly comprises a spring housed in two sleeves, one sleeve being located in an end cavity of each said member and held therein by a U-shaped member force-fitted into a slot associated with the respective cavity.

The hoop-type earring has found great favor in the trade in recent years, but because of the unique characteristics thereof, hoop earrings have normally been employed only in a piercing type of earring. Screw back mountings normally cannot be used with hoop earrings because they cannot achieve the desired efiect, and as a result, those women who do not have pierced ears cannot wear the hoop type of earring, even though it may be considered more ornamental or attractive than various types of earring designs that incorporate a screw back.

Some efforts have been made heretofore to simulate pierced earrings, but these prior known earring constructions have either failed to produce the desired appearance or have included an arrangement of parts thatprohibitively increased the cost of the earring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an earring construction of the nonpiercing type but that simulates a piercing earring. In order to accomplish this effect, the earring embodied herein is formed with a pair of members that are generally arcuate in configuration although, in the broad sense, the members are defined as having a nonlinear configuration. One end of each member is adapted to be interconnected to the adjacent member by a special connecting assembly, the other ends of the members being disconnected and being urged toward each other by the special connecting assembly that is joined to the interconnected ends of the members. Thus, when the earring is to be mounted on the ear lobe of the wearer, the members are twisted in opposite directions to place the disconnected ends of the members on opposite sides of the wearer's ear lobe. The disconnected ends are urged into engaging relation with the ear lobe and the earring is thus suspended therefrom. Since the disconnected ends of the members are located in firm engagement with the wearer's ear lobe, they appear to pierce the ear lobe and thereby simulate a pierced earring.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an earring construction of the nonpiercing type that simulates a pierced earring effect.

Another object of the invention is to provide an earring construction that includes a pair of members that are interconnected at one end by a connecting assembly and that are disconnected at the other end, the disconnected ends being urged toward each other by the connecting assembly.

Still another object is to provide an earring construction that includes a connecting assembly for joining opposed members in a hoop configuration, the connecting assembly including a spring member that imparts a biasing effect to the members, thereby providing for mounting of the earring construction on the wearer's ear lobe in suspended relation.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing which illustrates the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of the earring embodied in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the earring, one of the FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of the retainer elements that is formed as part of the connecting assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawing, the earring embodied in the present invention is generally indicated at 10 and, as shown, includes a first arcuate-shaped member generally indicated at 12 that is interconnected to a second arcuate-shaped member generally indicated at 14, The members 12 and 14 form a hoop configuration when they are: interconnected, and although the individual members are defined as being arcuate shaped, it is understood that they may be formed in other configurations which would in the broad sense produce a nonlinear configuration. The arcuate shape of the members 12 and 14, as more clearly illustrated in FIG. 1, incorporates a taper therein that imparts a crescent shape for each of the members so that when they are interconnected together, they define a well-known hoop configuration which has been usually employed in the piercing type of earring.

The earring 10 as comprised by the members 12 and 14 is devoid of any screw backs normally associated in nonpiercin g types of earrings, and instead employs a unique connecting as sembly that provides for twisting movement of the members 12 and 14 with respect to each other so that the members may be urged into firm engaging relation on the wearers ear lobe, thereby providing for suspending of the earring therefrom.

The members 12 and 14 are constructed substantially identical and are preferably formed of a solid material to define body portions 16 and 18, respectively, the larger ends of the tapered body portions 16 and 18 being disposed in adjacent abutting relation and having aligned bores 20 and 22 formed in the opposed end faces thereof. The ends of the body portions 16 and 18 in which the bores 20 and 22 are formed, are adapted to be interconnected by a connecting assembly generally indicated at 24, while the smaller, opposite ends of the members 12 and 14 are disconnected from each other but are adapted to be urged in an askew direction toward each other. As further shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the smaller end of the body portion 16 of the member 12 has a dish-shaped plate 26 attached thereto, the concave surface thereof facing in the direction of the opposed disconnected end of the member 14, but located such that the plane extending through its peripheral edges is generally inclined with respect to the axis of the hoop as defined by the members 12 and 14. The free end of the member 14 that is located adjacent to the plate 26 is somewhat enlarged as indicated at 28 with respect to the smaller end of the body portion 18, the enlarged end 28 being formed with a surface that is also inclined with respect to the axis of the hoop, but that is generally parallel to the plane that contains the peripheral edges of the concave plate 26. It is seen that when the enlarged end 28 is urged toward the plate 26 for engagement therewith, the mating surfaces will be disposed in generally coplanar engaging relation.

In order to interconnect the members 12 and 14 so that their disconnected ends are urged positively toward each other, the connecting assembly 24 is provided and, as shown more clearly in FIG. 4, includes a tubular element 30 through which a coil spring 32 extends. The spring 32 is closely wound adjacent the ends thereof, but the coils at the center thereof are somewhat open, thus limiting the torsional effect when the members 12 and 14 are twisted. Formed on the ends of the spring 32 are loops 34 and 36 that extend outwardly of the ends of the tubular member 30. As shown, the outer ends of the tubular member 30 are peened over or are flared, as indicated at 36 and 38, and are adapted to capture therebetween sleeves 40 and 42 that are spaced apart by a central disc 44. Formed in the sleeves 40 and 42 are annular grooves 46 and 48, the purpose of which will be presently described.

As previously described, the connecting assembly 24 is adapted to be received in the bores 20 and 22 as formed in the larger ends of the body portions of the members 12 and 14. However, in order to prevent rotating movement of the connecting assembly 24 when the members are twisted, retainer elements generally indicated at 50 are provided and, are received in opposed slots 52 and 54 as formed in the bores and 22, respectively. The retainer elements 50 are mounted on the sleeves 40 and 42 and are received in the loops 34 and 36 of the spring 32. For this purpose, each of the retainer elements 50 is formed in a U shaped configuration and includes legs 56 and 58 and a bight portion 60 joined thereto, the legs 56, 58 being located in diverging relation as they extend from the bight portion 60. Formed in the bight portion 60 of each retainer element 50 is a notch 62 that receives a spring loop therein when the retainer elements are mounted in place in the connecting assembly 24, while formed on the inner edge of the legs 56 and 58 are projecting lugs 64. When the members 12 and 14 are interconnected, the connecting assembly 24 including the retainer elements 50 are inserted in the bores 20 and 22 as formed in the enlarged end portions of the members.

The retainer element legs 56 and 58 are disposed such that they face outwardly of the bores in which they are inserted, the projecting lugs 64 being received in the grooves 46 and 48 of the sleeves 40 and 42 as illustrated in FIG. 3. The bight portion 60 of the retaining elements 50 are received within the loops 34 and 36 of the spring 32, the notch 62 accommodating the loop wire. The retaining elements 50 are thus securely mounted in place in the connecting assembly 24; and when the connecting assembly 24 is inserted within the bores 20 and 22, the legs 56 and 58 of the retaining elements are received within the opposed slots 52 and 54. This positively locks the connecting assembly 24 in place and prevents rotating movement of the parts when the members 12 and 14 are-oppositely twisted. Since the legs 56 and 58 of the retaining elements 50 diverge with respect to each other, a force fit of the legs is produced when they are inserted within the opposedslots 52 and 54 and the members 12 and 14 are thus-positively locked in position but may be moved relative to each other byzapplying a twisting force thereto. The disc 44 serves as a bearing surface for the sleeves 40 and 42 which may be moved relative to the tubular element when the members 12 and 14 are 7 twisted with respect to each other.

ln'assembly of the device, tension of the spring 32may be increased by winding the spring a half turn or a full turn prior to fixing of the retaining elements 50 in position in the connecting assembly 24. Thus, when the members 12 and 14 are mounted in interconnecting relation through the connecting assembly 24, they are subjected to a biasing effect, wherein the end 28 of the member 14 is forced into engagement with the plate 26 of the member 12. When the member 14 is moved relative to the member 12, the spring 32 is further placed under torsion so that release of the member 14 will cause it to be urged back into positive engagement with the plate26.

In use of the earring,'it is seen that it may be simply and quickly mounted on the wewearers ear lobe by applying a twisting effect to the members 12 and 14 so that they are turned or twisted in a manner that moves the plate 26 and end 28 in a direction that is generally parallel to the axis of the hoop as defined by the members 12 and 14. Movement of the member 14 to the dotted line position as illustrated in FIG. 2 separates the plate 26 and end 28 of the members, and the plate 26 is then placed behind the wearer's ear lobe. The end 28 is located on the forward portion of the wearers ear lobe and after release thereof is moved into firm engagement with the wearer's ear lobe. Because of the torsion effect produced by the twisting of the spring 32, the end 28 will remain in positive engagement with the wearer's ear lobe and will cause the resultant appearance of the earring as mounted on the wearer's ear lobe to impart the effect of a pierced earring.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims. 3 i i We claim:

l. In an earring including first and second nonlinear members secured together at one end and spaced adjacent one another in disconnected relation at the other to define a generally closed hoop,'a pivot assembly joining said members at said one end for relative pivotal movement in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said closed hoop comprising spring means for urging the disconnected ends of said members towards each other, a tubular element enclosing said spring means and receivable in said one end of each of said members, sleeves secured to said tubular element, and retaining means retaining said spring means and said sleeves in said one ends, said retaining means being located on the ends of said spring means and being received in said one end of each of said members and coating with means therein for positively locating said spring means with respect to said members, whereby said disconnected ends of said members are urged into positive engagement with a wearers ear lobe to retain said earring on said lobe.

2. An earring comprising, first and second members each having a nonlinear configuration, said members having spaced end portions with corresponding end portions being located in adjacent relation to one another to define a generally closed hoop, and means interconnecting said members at one of said adjacent end portions and providing for relative twisting movement of said members in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said closed hoop, the other of said adjacent end portions of said members being located in disconnected relation and being separable upon opposite twisting movement of said members for location thereof on opposite sides of the ear lobe ofa wearer, said interconnecting means including a bore formed in the interconnected ends of each member having grooves formed therein, spring means for urging the disconnected end portions of said members toward each other and into positive engagement with the wearer's ear lobe, a tubular element enclosing said spring means and receivable within said bores, retainers located on the ends of said spring means and being received in said grooves for positively locating said spring means with respect to said members, and sleeve means located on said tubular element in enveloping relation and having annular grooves formed therein, said retainers including spaced legs having lugs formed thereon that are received in said annular grooves, said legs being disposed such that they extend in parallel relation with respect to'the axis of said tubular element and sleeve means located thereon and defining those portions of said retainers that are received in the grooves in said bores, thereby locating said interconnecting means in said bores in nonrotating relation therein.

3. An earring comprising first and second members each having a nonlinear configuration, said members having spaced end portions with corresponding end portions being located in adjacent relation to one another to define a generally closed hoop, and means interconnecting said members at one of said adjacent end portions and providing for relative twisting movement of said members, the other of said adjacent end portions being located in disconnected relation and being separable upon opposite twisting movement of said members for location thereof on opposite sides of the ear lobe of a wearer, said interconnecting means including a bore formed in the interconnecting end of each member, spring means for urging the disconnected end portions of said members toward each other and into positive engagement with the wearer's ear lobe, a tubular element through which said spring means extends, said tubular element being received in said bores, and retainer means connected to said spring means and fixed in said bores for positively locating said members in interconnected relation, said retainer means being defined by U- shaped elements, the legs of which are formed with inwardly directed projections, sleeve means located in encircling relation on said tubular element, and having annular grooves formed therein that receive the projections formed on the legs of said retainer means, wherein said retainer means are positively located with respect to said sleeve means. 

1. In an earring including first and second nonlinear members secured together at one end and spaced adjacent one another in disconnected relation at the other to define a generally closed hoop, a pivot assembly joining said members at said one end for relative pivotal movement in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said closed hoop comprising spring means for urging the disconnected ends of said members towards each other, a tubular element enclosing said spring means and receivable in said one end of each of said members, sleeves secured to said tubular element, and retaining means retaining said spring means and said sleeves in said one ends, said retaining means being located on the ends of said spring means and being received in said one end of each of said members and coating with means therein for positively locating said spring means with respect to said members, whereby said disconnected ends of said members are urged into positive engagement with a wearer''s ear lobe to retain said earring on said lobe.
 2. An earring comprising, first and second members each having a nonlinear configuration, said members having spaced end portions with corresponding end portions being located in adjacent relation to one another to define a generally closed hoop, and means interconnecting said members at one of said adjacent end portions and providing for relative twisting movement of said members in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said closed hoop, the other of said adjacent end portions of said members being located in disconnected relation and being separable upon opposite twisting movement of said members for location thereof on opposite sides of the ear lobe of a wearer, said interconnecting means including a bore formed in the interconnected ends of each member having grooves formed therein, spring means for urging the disconnected end portions of said members toward each other and into positive engagement with the wearer''s ear lobe, a tubular element enclosing said spring means and receivable within said bores, retainers located on the ends of said spring means and being received in said grooves for positively locating said spring means with respect to said members, and sleeve means located on said tubular element in enveloping relation and having annular grooves formed therein, said Retainers including spaced legs having lugs formed thereon that are received in said annular grooves, said legs being disposed such that they extend in parallel relation with respect to the axis of said tubular element and sleeve means located thereon and defining those portions of said retainers that are received in the grooves in said bores, thereby locating said interconnecting means in said bores in nonrotating relation therein.
 3. An earring comprising first and second members each having a nonlinear configuration, said members having spaced end portions with corresponding end portions being located in adjacent relation to one another to define a generally closed hoop, and means interconnecting said members at one of said adjacent end portions and providing for relative twisting movement of said members, the other of said adjacent end portions being located in disconnected relation and being separable upon opposite twisting movement of said members for location thereof on opposite sides of the ear lobe of a wearer, said interconnecting means including a bore formed in the interconnecting end of each member, spring means for urging the disconnected end portions of said members toward each other and into positive engagement with the wearer''s ear lobe, a tubular element through which said spring means extends, said tubular element being received in said bores, and retainer means connected to said spring means and fixed in said bores for positively locating said members in interconnected relation, said retainer means being defined by U-shaped elements, the legs of which are formed with inwardly directed projections, sleeve means located in encircling relation on said tubular element, and having annular grooves formed therein that receive the projections formed on the legs of said retainer means, wherein said retainer means are positively located with respect to said sleeve means. 